When I grow up, I want to be a supply chain analyst.” You don’t hear these words too often — but I’m hoping that changes fast.
When I was a child, my siblings and I would sit around the kitchen table and tell our parents about the jobs we might hold as adults. My mother bought me a bag with bandages and a toy thermometer. I wanted to be a nurse.
Radiologic technologist, debit card specialist and, yes, supply chain analyst just weren’t common terms back then. But today these jobs — and thousands of others — are providing opportunities and hope to people entering or re-entering the workforce.
I know encouraging words can ring false in today’s economic climate, but in times like these, knowledge is power. And when headlines like “Layoffs Surge” and “More People Sought Unemployment Benefits” make individuals feel powerless, it’s vital to know about available alternatives and resources.
I’m always thrilled on Labor Day to see Americans celebrate working people’s contributions to our nation. On this Labor Day, I encourage to help spread the word about options and resources for those who are striving so hard to join the workforce.
No matter where I go and who I hear from, American workers tell me, “We need more jobs.” I agree. That’s why I want every American to know about those industries that are growing even now and providing much-needed hope and opportunity in the process.
The right knowledge and assistance — especially training — are putting people back to work. In particular, they are a lifeline for people who had thought they had a secure place in the workforce, who never thought they’d have to re-invent themselves.
Consider Sheila Jolley, who discovered a second career in healthcare IT when her customer service job was outsourced to Canada. She would have struggled to find another position in the publishing industry, which is predicted to shrink by nearly 20 percent by 2018. But Sheila had known about possibilities in healthcare — expected to add 3.2 million jobs by 2018 — and enrolled in a program to learn medical billing and coding.
When Greg Matlock lost a job he’d held for eight years, he enrolled in classes through his local One-Stop Career Center. After graduating with a wind turbine technician certificate, he is now happily re-employed in the recycling industry.
Valerie Ibey, an unemployed mom of two, found work and hope as a machinist. A federally funded education and training program, along with courses through a community college and the company she now works for, gave her the credentials she needed.
In just one year, Workforce Investment Act Adult and Displaced Worker programs placed 685,000 workers in new jobs. Resources like these are helping workers across the country, including here in Colorado. Did you know that there are 10 One-Stop Career Centers in the Denver area? See for yourself at .
Type “manufacturing” into . Yes, manufacturing — where innovative technologies will become high-quality jobs thanks to efforts like the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. Cooperative efforts across government, business and academia have powered industry growth before and will do so again.
In Denver, the renewable energy, engineering and health care sectors are expected to add jobs. If you’d like to get in on opportunities in these growing areas but are concerned your time and money are too tight, go to for short-term training programs near you and information about grants, loans and scholarships.
The journey to a thriving workforce starts at America’s kitchen tables, with dreams of a better future and jobs we never imagined as children — like medical records technician or energy efficiency engineer. It culminates with the high-quality jobs that will push us out of these difficult times and into economic leadership for many Labor Days to come.
Hilda L. Solis is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
